Various techniques and devices have been proposed and used to treat obese patients so as to reduce their weight and to maintain their weight at a reduced, more acceptable level. The techniques have included surgical as well as non-surgical approaches. By way of example, one such surgical procedure involves an abdominal surgical procedure in which the stomach is surgically exposed and then is stapled in a manner to reduce the available volume of the stomach. In another surgical technique the stomach is wrapped in a non-expandable fabric or mesh so that it cannot expand beyond the volume defined by the wrap. Other surgical procedures for the treatment of obesity include shortening or placing shunts in the intestinal tract so as to reduce the time during which food is exposed to the patient's digestive process.
Also among the techniques which have been proposed has been to place a balloon within a patient's stomach so as to occupy a substantial volume of the stomach thereby to limit the available unfilled volume within the stomach and to provide the patient with an early sensation of satiety. The balloon systems which have been proposed have suffered from various difficulties and none is believed to have achieved any practical lasting use. Among the difficulties have been in the valving arrangement for inflating the balloon and for maintaining the balloon in an inflated condition over an extended period of time. Additionally, the balloon structures and placement techniques which have been proposed generally have been cumbersome and awkward. It is among the general objects of the present invention to provide an improved anti-obesity balloon and placement system which avoids the difficulties presented by the prior proposed devices.